X-Ray Camera for Plasma Instability Diagnostics

188 X-Ray Camera for Plasma Instability Diagnostics--Princeton Scientific Instruments, Inc., 7 Deer Park Drive, , Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852-1921; (908) 274-0774 Mr. John L. Lowrance, Principal Investigator Mr. John L. Lowrance, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82463 Amount: $75,000 The understanding and control of plasma instabilities is important to the nuclear fusion energy research being conducted by Department of Energy programs. Hard x-ray imaging of supra-thermal electrons and tangential imaging of soft x-rays are two diagnostics of particular value in detecting and measuring these instabilities. These X-ray diagnostics are currently limited by the data acquisition rate. Increasing the rate of the x-ray image acquisition would markedly improve the study of instabilities that have frequencies in the range from 1 to 500 kilo Hertz. This project is to develop an x-ray camera to provide ultra high frame rate imaging. The design permits the read out of the image sensor at a slow frame rate convenient for digital archiving and display with standard microcomputer and television hardware. The camera system should be less expensive than current technology. In Phase I an x-ray imaging system capable of capturing high spatial resolution images at frame rates up to 1,000,000 frames per second will be investigated, based on combining a large format x-ray converter tube with a unique solid state imager. The goal is to increase the frame capacity of the image sensor from 32 to~300 frames, to better match the requirements for plasma x-ray diagnostics as well as other commercial applications. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: This ultra-high frame rate solid state camera would find numerous commercial application in industry, defense, nuclear testing and scientific applications needing such high frame rate imaging instrumentation.